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Konstantin Batygin
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Assistant Professor
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- formation and evolution of the Solar System
- dynamical evolution of exoplanets
- physical processes inherent to planetary interiors and atmospheres
Services, Roles, and Activities
- Local organizing committee (AAS/DDA) 2015 - chair
Professional Experience and Positions
- Harvard ITC Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Center for Astrophysics Nov. 2012 - Jun. 2014
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur, Nice, France Jul. 2012 - Nov. 2012
- Graduate Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant, Caltech Sep. 2008 - Jun. 2012
- Visiting Scientist, Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur, Nice, France Feb. 2011 - Mar. 2011
- Research Assistant, UCO/Lick Observatory Mar. 2006 - Sep. 2008
- Supplemental Instructor, University of California, Santa Cruz Mar. 2006 - Jun. 2006
- Research Assistant, NASA Ames Research Center Jul. 2005 - Jan. 2006
- Referee for ApJ, ApJL, AJ, A&A, Nature, MNRAS, CMDA, PNAS, Earth Moon and Planets, panelist and external reviewer for various NASA and NSF programs
Candidate Statement
Having served as the chair of the LOC for the 2015 DDA in Pasadena, it would be my pleasure to serve on the general DDA committee. If elected, I will carry out my duties as an active member for a period of 2 years.
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Apostolos Christou
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Research Astronomer
Degrees and Education
- Ph.D., Solar System Dynamics, Queen Mary University of London (1998)
M.Sc. Maths of Nonlinear Models, Heriot-Watt Unversity, Edinburgh (1994)
B.Sc. Applied Maths, National and Capodistrian University of Athens (1993)
Affiliations
- Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG, United Kingdom
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- the origin and evolution of Trojan asteroids
- dynamics of meteoroids and dust; effects on planetary environments
- dynamical evolution of planetary satellites
- measuring the solar system through time-critical phenomena (eclipses, appulses, occultations, transits)
My research has featured prominently in the media. During the 2015 DPS
Meeting (Washington DC) I participated in a press conference
(http://aas.org/media-press/archived-aas-press-conference-webcasts) and
contributed a press release
(https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/mercury-gets-meteoroid-shower-from-comet-encke)
to promote my result that the meteoroid stream of comet Encke is
responsible for modulating Mercury's calcium exosphere.
My earlier discovery of a cluster of Trojans at the orbit of Mars was
similarly publicised during the 2013 DPS (Denver, CO; press release at
http://spaceref.com/asteroids/an-asteroid-pile-up-in-the-orbit-of-mars.html).
In 2011, I identified 2010 SO16 as a long-lived Earth horseshoe asteroid
(still the longest-lived Earth coorbital at the time of writing this) and
a press release was issued by the UK's Royal Astronomical Society. On all
these occasions, the stories were reproduced on numerous fora across the
world wide web. I am also involved in a proposal with Craig Agnor and Carl
Murray (QMUL) to bring a DDA meeting to London in 2017 or later.
Services, Roles, and Activities
I am a Fellow of the UK Royal Astronomical Society, a full Member of the
American Astronomical Society (DPS & DDA), also a Member of the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and of the International
Astronomical Union Commission 7: Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronomy.
I regularly act as reviewer for papers submitted to Science, Icarus,
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy,
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Journal of Geophysical
Research, Geophysical Research Letters and others. In 2014, I was awarded
a "Certificate of Excellence in Reviewing" by the Editorial Board of
Icarus. I have also reviewed grant proposals in the UK and
internationally, including a number of Solar System Workings programme
applications in 2014. During the 2013 European Planetary Science Congress
in London, UK, I organised and chaired the "Asteroid Dynamics" session. I
have written press releases issued by the Armagh Observatory and
occasionally by other organisations (eg Division of Planetary Sciences of
the AAS, Royal Astronomical Society in the UK). I also give talks to
amateur societies and organise public observing sessions using the
Observatory's historical Grubb 10-inch refractor.
Professional Experience and Positions
- 03/2001 - present: Research Astronomer, Armagh Observatory, UK
- 03/2000 - 03/2001: Research Associate, Orbit & Attitude Determination & Control of Small Satellites, University Surrey, UK
- 10/1998 - 03/2000: Research Associate, Theoretical Astronomy, Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Candidate Statement
None of us would be working in this field if we were not convinced of the
importance of dynamics in answering the fundamental science questions in
astronomy. As a planetary scientist and a DDA member for over 15 years, I
have been impressed - but never surprised - by its enormous contribution
to understanding our own solar system, my main area of research.
But I feel that dynamics can make a still bigger impact (read "more
projects and more job opportunities for dynamicists") if we bolster our
lines of communication to the other disciplines. A recent personal
experience has been the Mercury-related item I describe under the
"Research Area" section above. That story began in 2009 during a workshop
I helped organise in Graz, Austria under a European Union grant that
brought together experts in planetary exospheres and cometary dust
dynamics. The result was - apart from a nice paper in GRL(!) - that we now
know something we didn't, namely that meteoroid streams can affect
exospheres in a measurable way. If elected, I will work to foster and
promote cross-discipline linkages and actions to help our field and its
practitioners realise their full potential.
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Matt Walker
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Assistant Professor, Physics
Degrees and Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan (2007)
- B.S., B.A, Western Illinois University (1999)
Affiliations
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- dark matter
- galactic dynamics
- dwarf galaxies
- the Local Group
Professional Experience and Positions
- Assistant Professor of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, 2013 - present
- Hubble Fellow, Harvard College Observatory, 2010-2013
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, 2007-2010
Candidate Statement
I study dark matter, thus far via optical imaging, spectroscopy and statistical/dynamical modelling of dwarf galaxies. I wish to serve on the DDA committee.
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Kat Volk
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Degrees and Education
- Ph.D., Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona (2013)
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- dynamical history of the outer solar system
- dynamical structure of the Kuiper belt
- related small body populations
- dynamics of exoplanets
Professional Experience and Positions
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Arizona (2015-present)
- CITA National Fellow, University of British Columbia (2013-2015)
Candidate Statement
Candidate Statement: I always look forward to the DDA meeting each year because of the variety of interesting dynamical problems explored and the fact that the small meeting size allows plenty of time for discussion (and no parallel sessions!). If elected, I would focus on maintaining the high quality of the DDA meetings by making sure they remain affordable to attend and by encouraging early career researchers to join the DDA.
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Maryame El Moutamid
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Research Associate
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- celestial mechanics: Orbital resonances and secular dynamics
- planetary rings, satellites dynamics
- physics of planetary interiors and atmospheres
Services, Roles, and Activities
- Member of the DPS and DDA
Professional Experience and Positions
- Research associate at Cornell University (2014-present)
- Graduate student at Paris Observatory (2010-2013)
- Referee for A&A and Icarus
Candidate Statement
I always thoroughly enjoy DDA meetings, it is one of the best opportunities to
discuss current problems on dynamics, share recent results and learn more
about issues related to celestial mechanics. It would be my pleasure to be a
member in the general DDA committee. As a member, I will work to maintain
the great quality of the meeting, and encourage national and international
young scientists to participate.
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Daniel Tamayo
Biography
Professional Title/Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
Degrees and Education
- Ph.D., Cornell University
Affiliations
- Centre for Planetary Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough
- Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
Research Areas, Topics, and Interests
- dynamics of irregular satellite debris
- stability of exoplanet systems
- analytical and numerical methods
- chaos
Professional Experience and Positions
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Planetary Sciences, University of Toronto
- Buttrick-Crippen Teaching Fellow, Cornell University
- Referee for ApJ, AJ, MNRAS, Icarus, panelist for various NASA programs
Candidate Statement
The DDA is a smaller community than most other AAS divisions. This is partly what makes DDA great, as meetings are much more interactive. But this also demands greater care and attention in order to maintain DDA’s research excellence and diversity. To this end, I would work to reinvigorate DDA’s galactic dynamics component and try to find ways to generate cross-discipline discussions at meetings. DDA is small enough that such efforts could be effectively organized. I would also work to attract outstanding young researchers to DDA and to continue improving the division’s gender balance.
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